AgriTalk: Keeping The Farm Bill Moving

House Ag Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) is standing behind the House farm bill and has no plans to let go of its changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP).

AgriTalk host Chip Flory asked Conaway about the possibility of the Senate version of the bill passing without the changes.

“Not likely, “said Conaway. “I am not so naïve or arrogant enough to think that my bill will go to the president’s desk as is. Pat [Senate Ag Chairman Rep. Pat Roberts] will get a bill out and then we will go to conference, and we will work things out in a way that is satisfactory to both sides.”

He said he will continue with efforts to prevent Democrats, who he said plan to vote against the bill, from introducing amendments when it hits the House floor.

“If you are a no on final, no matter what, then you should not get an amendment that would make the bill worse than it already is in your perspective,” said Conaway.
However, he did say that if there is a House Democrat that is genuinely interested in working with the bill, he is happy to hear their thoughts.

He expects the bill to find the floor within the next two weeks.

Winter Wheat Tour

It might not come as a surprise that the winter wheat crop took a hit this year and how far behind the crop is at this point in the season.

“It was very shortvmaybe a foot tall at the most…anywhere from two to four weeks late is the consensus,” said Reuters reporter Michael Hertzer after the first day of the Hard Winter Wheat Tour.

The official estimate from the tour is 37 bushels per acre on average this year, the lowest since 2015

The Extra Point

Also joining AgriTalk on Thursday was Lance Honig, chief of crops branch for USDA and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Honig is among those in charge of putting together the weekly crop progress and condition reports.

You can find out more about how these reports are put together by listening to the full show above.